The invention relates to vehicle seat support assemblies and more particularly to such an assembly which may be rotated and slidably adjusted fore-and-aft, sideways, and vertically.
Backhoe tractors and the like require the operator's attention at both the front and the back of the tractor. In such vehicles, the operator's seat may be surrounded both fore-and-aft in relatively close relationship by obstructions such as controls and the like which make it difficult for the operator to get into and out of the seat since these obstructions limit free movement of the operator's legs. In order to accommodate or overcome these problems it is well known to install in such vehicles seats which may be adjusted vertically and fore-and-aft and may be rotated when in an aft position. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,507 issued to Swenson, and U.S. Pat. No. 2,409,114 issued to Elleman et al, show seat support assemblies which may be adjusted vertically and fore-and-aft and include a latch which may be disengaged to permit rotation of the seat when the seat is in an aft position. These seat assemblies are normally locked against rotation by the latch in all forward positions. This feature permits the seat to be unlatched for rotation only when the seat is aft where the obstructions in the cab will not interfere with the free rotation of the operator's legs. The seat of such a vehicle is normally centered laterally for the best viewing by the operator of both sides of the tractor when facing either the backhoe or the front of the tractor. Centering of the seat also maximizes leg space when the seat is being rotated.
Another problem with the use of a backhoe tractor and the like is that the backhoe or other operational device aft of the tractor cab may interfere with the operator's view of work being done behind the operational device. This problem can be alleviated by providing the seat assembly with means for adjusting the seat in a lateral side-to-side direction so that the operator may move to the left or right of the device which otherwise blocks his view. However, while seats which are adjustable in both lateral side-to-side and fore-and-aft directions are known, such seats are not practical for use in backhoe tractors and the like since they do not include means for rotating the seat when in a predetermined position, e.g. aft, at the midpoint of side-to-side movement, or means for locking the seat against rotation at other positions.